1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved saddletree designed to add strength while reducing weight over the standard wood saddletree.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Few changes have been made over the centuries that saddles have been in use. The English saddle tree has kept approximately the same shape and has been made primarily of wood for hundreds of years until after WWII. At that time sprint steel attachments were incorporated into the design to allow the tree more elasticity combined with flexibility. Until the recent use of plastics, and other manmade materials, little had been done to reduce weight. The latest major advancement in saddles trees was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,630, in which a saddle having improved balance and fit of a saddle is disclosed; the ""630 patent being incorporated herein as though recited in full.
Strength, however, remained an issue. Saddles must provide some flexibility, however excessive torque has been a problem with prior art trees of wood construction. A professional quality saddle is an expensive investment and expected to last many years. A cracked, weakened or broken tree, however, immediately makes the saddle unusable. It would be easy to strengthen a saddle if weight wasn""t also a concern.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,614 a hollow saddletree formed of rotationally molded cross-linked polyethylene was disclosed. The hollow saddletree is of unitary, one piece construction and formed of cross-linked polyethylene by a rotational molding process with all of the structural elements of the saddle being of substantially equal thickness. Because the saddletree it is hollow, light and sufficiently flexible, it conforms to the contours of back of the horse.
Fiberglass reinforced plastics have also been used to reduce the cost of saddle manufacturing. Saddletrees of this nature are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,293,828 to Hessler incorporated herein by reference. The problem with fiberglass-reinforced saddletrees is that they are too rigid and, under the stresses of usage, show a distinct tendency to break down. In addition, saddletrees formed of fiber reinforced plastics are too stiff and do not conform to the horse""s back. In consequence, they cause abrasion to the sides of the horse, to the material discomfort of the horse. Saddles formed of foam-filled fiber reinforced plastics have also been described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,258,894 to Hoaglin. In this construction, two sections are molded from fiber reinforced plastic, combined together and the interior filled with urethane foam.
Injected molded saddles have also been tried and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,712,024 and 3,780,494. High cost of molding, difficulty of quality control and lack of versatility have been the problems with injected molded saddles.
None of the foregoing prior art saddles, however, have been able to make a lightweight saddletree that provides fit and balance combined with flexibility without torque.